3 MLB FanDuel Studs to Target for Monday 8/14/23

In daily fantasy baseball on FanDuel, rostering the right high-salaried studs is an important part of building lineups.

These high-salaried studs are foundational components of lineups and are expected to deliver.

Monday's main slate features several situations that could provide high FanDuel point totals, with the Arizona Diamondbacks' clash with the Colorado Rockies near the top of the list.

Let's take a look at some of the top high-salary players for today's main slate.

All advanced statistics via FanGraphs. All projections via numberFire.

Yu Darvish, P, San Diego Padres ($9,700)

Offering an exciting blend of projected production and value, Yu Darvish is an excellent starting point for your DFS lineups on Monday.

The San Diego Padres' star has numberFire's highest pitcher projection (35.8 FanDuel points) on Monday's main slate, and he's the second-best point-per-dollar option.

In 21 starts this season, Darvish has recorded an 8-7 record and is averaging 5.7 innings pitched per start. The righty has a respectable 4.05 skill-interactive ERA (SIERA), 28th-best in baseball, and his 24.9% strikeout rate ranks 25th. He is averaging 9.35 strikeouts per 9 innings, 21st in the league.

Darvish enters Monday's game in fantastic form. In his last three starts combined, he has allowed just 2 earned runs and recorded 17 strikeouts in 19 total innings. That stretch included games against the Seattle Mariners, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Texas Rangers, all of whom rank inside the top 14 in wRC+. Darvish has been at his best against some of the league's best.

On Monday, the 36-year-old is expected to take the mound against the Baltimore Orioles. Baltimore enters this matchup with a 22.2% strikeout rate, 14th-highest in baseball. The Orioles' 103 wRC+ is tied with Seattle and the Minnesota Twins for 14th in the league. Baltimore is averaging just 3.0 runs per game over their last five contests and has been held under two runs in three of those five.

The Orioles aren't the easiest matchup, but Darvish has been productive against better sides recently and is set up to extend his hot streak on Monday.

Julio Rodriguez, OF, Seattle Mariners ($3,800)

We head to Seattle for our second high-salaried stud on Monday -- Julio Rodriguez.

The Mariners' star outfielder has numberFire's 10th-highest projection (13.2 FanDuel points) on Monday's main slate.

After an electric rookie season, Rodriguez is in the middle of a solid sophomore campaign. His 3.8 FanGraphs' WAR ranks 20th, and his 19 home runs check in 34th. He ranks 32nd in RBI with 67, and his 27 stolen bases are tied for 8th-best in the league.

On Monday, Rodriguez will be facing 27-year-old right-hander Brady Singer. Singer's 4.42 SIERA ranks 41st, and his 19.4% strikeout rate ranks 50th. Singer has been better in some of his recent starts, but his 5.05 ERA this season ranks fifth-worst.

As a result, the Mariners currently have the fourth-highest implied team total on Thursday's main slate (4.28), according to numberFire's DFS heat map.

Rodriguez is well-positioned to take advantage of this matchup.

Lourdes Gurriel, OF, Arizona Diamondbacks ($3,600)

The Diamondbacks begin the week with a trip to Coors Field on Monday.

At a salary of $3,600, Lourdes Gurriel will look to take advantage of the Coors conditions. He has numberFire's third-highest point projection (15.3) and fourth-highest point-per-dollar value projection (4.25).

Gurriel got the day off on Sunday but is coming off a 22.2 FanDuel-point performance on Saturday, which included a home run and 2 RBI.

His 19 home runs this season are tied for 34th, his .473 slugging ranks 36th, and his 63 RBI are tied for 40th most in baseball.

On Monday, Gurriel and the Diamondbacks are expected to face right-hander Chris Flexen. In 55.2 innings pitched this season, the 29-year-old Flexen has a 7.92 ERA and 14.6% strikeout rate. The last time he made an appearance with an ERA below 5.40 was May 29th. In his eight appearances since then, he has posted an ERA at or above 9.0 in seven different outings.

Look for Arizona to take advantage of an excellent matchup in a hitter-friendly ballpark on Monday.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.